Closed commission meetings raise eyebrows despite legality

In the Loop

The subject of a hastily-called closed session meeting of the Athens-Clarke County Commission Friday afternoon wasn't too hard to figure out.

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State laws allow the commission to close a meeting to discuss personnel - a reasonable exception to the Sunshine Law, but one that raises eyebrows.

The commission met for more than four hours on the day after a three-hour agenda-setting meeting Thursday night, so it was probably discussing some pretty weighty personnel issues.

Five officials are up for reappointment - which means they might, or might not, have jobs come April 1. So, who might get the axe?

Count out Clerk of Commission Jean Spratlin, a 30-year veteran of the office. Also count out Auditor John Wolfe, Manager Alan Reddish and Attorney Bill Berryman (who was in the room when the meeting was closed, and didn't look too unhappy about it). Commissioners haven't hinted, publicly anyway, that they are disappointed with any of them.

That leaves (aha!) Municipal Judge Ethelyn Simpson, the subject of a Community Protection Division report that criticized Simpson for going too easy on unrelated roommates, yard parkers and those vile criminals who leave their trash cans on the curb too long.

Because ordinance enforcement's been on several commissioners' minds lately, the reason for the meeting soon became apparent.

Local lawyers must have thought it was apparent, too, because they were abuzz last week with rumors of Simpson's possible demise. While some felt the commission is within its rights, as enumerated in the charter, to dismiss the judge, others complained the move would be a severe breach of separation of powers. Should a judge interpret the law, they asked, or be a rubber stamp for elected officials and enforcement officers?

Even after the story became clear, most commissioners wouldn't comment. Kathy Hoard, States McCarter and George Maxwell returned phone calls, but said little of substance.

Commissioner Elton Dodson, admirably, did give away a little more information. Dodson wouldn't say much more than his colleagues, but he did say - in a round-about way - that commissioners are divided on whether to reappoint Simpson.

Athenians will find out who will decide their fine for that happy-hour cigarette sometime before March 31, when Simpson's term expires. The commission could put it on the agenda March 1, or more likely, call another special meeting - this time an open one.